39 - Lake Shore Document

Transcript Hello... I am on the hillside listening to two coveys of quail call back and forth They've been slowly getting closer over the last 15 minutes, and I think they're going to link up I saw one group They had a bunch of fluffy little hatchlings running around I don't know how big the other group is though I'm below a range of mountains with snow and avalanche gullies, forests up the sides, larch and fir, ponderosa pine Ah, wow, a western tanager just landed in a pine tree I haven't seen one yet this year That was cool They're bright, bright orange, bright red, yellow, golden, crazy looking birds Probably the most brilliant bird in the west maybe I guess there's lazuli buntings out here too Or is it indigo buntings? ....that quail is trying to get the other quails to come over There's boulders on this hillside, and one of my favorite tea plants which is wild tarragon I gathered about eight stems of it just now It's a good spot for it There's a bunch of plants It's nice to be here I feel like my mind is already clearing out from the dampness of the coastal, humid, cold Salish Sea Up here in the high mountains, a divergent part of the Rockies above a big lake On a glacial moraine I guess I wanted to offer this today as just kind of way of saying of thanks to people Everybody that's supported me over the years Everyone who listens to this podcast I guess these quail are listening to it right now I just feel really grateful I'm kind of a recovering pessimist, you know, so a lot of that has to do with gratitude Pessimism is kind of this idea that there's no safety. Or that things are never going to really be what you want And the opposite of that, obviously, is gratitude for what you have Which is actually simple, but for a pessimistic mind, it's harder than it might seem And there's a lot to say about pessimism It definitely comes from damage Definitely comes from pain It's definitely a protective mechanism But I feel like I'm growing less and less pessimistic as time goes on, which kind of relieves a huge burden on a person I heard a meadowlark this morning as I was running Discovered some physiological linkages between my lumbar and knee that have to do with nerves Researched this type of technique called prickly...prickling nerve stimulation technique, which is developed by a Japanese neurosurgeon And it's a technique that's used to stimulate the nerves in the lumbar spine Which is developed by a Japanese neurosurgeon Neurologist named Dr Nagata, I think Basically, it's the idea that our skin is a direct door of access to our nervous system Which means that we wear our nervous system on our sleeves Which is something to remember, as sensitive humans I think we're all very sensitive, actually Unless we've been damaged to the point where we've been able to turn it off, or we've learned how to turn it off, or have been in a mode of having it shut off And it's really fascinating to note that there can be healing in the skin and in the tissues, just by stimulating the nerves around areas of trauma And it's interesting to note that, more or less, that's what acupuncture functions on, to access the meridians and the internal organs as well Kind of working with the nervous system in a lot of ways I kind of see these quail as part of the Earth's nervous system As showing what the weather's doing, and where the good grass seeds and the insects are right now It's quiet here, I like it It's easy to get away, just be in a quiet space that feels really big I like that I like to be able to wander It feels like it clears my mind It's starting to rain a little bit And I've run out of things to say I'm gonna walk down this draw and back to the van and head into town, get some groceries and finish settling in to my friend's house where I'll be for the summer doing rangeland surveys out here until I go to school in the fall Got a condo in Victoria Everything's lining up it seems I feel really lucky Thank you for your support, and thank you for listening. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.walkaround.run